Five Year Reunion
by duckys-dream
Summary: Mulder and Scully reunite after five years apart. They've both changed but have realised something important... sorry about the weak ending guys!
1. First Reunion

**TITLE - FIVE YEAR REUNION******

**AUTHOR - DUCKYS_DREAM******

**RATING - PG-13 FOR SOME LANGUAGE******

**START DATE - 15 NOVEMBER 2002 (I'M GOING ON SCHOOLIES TOMORROW SO THERE'S GOING TO BE A WEEK THAT I CAN'T USE TO WORK ON THIS STORY)******

**FINISH DATE - 25 NOVEMBER 2002 (one minute to midnight!!!)******

**DISCLAIMER - FOX, CHRIS CARTER, AND 1013 PRODUCTIONS OWN THE X-FILES AND ALL ITS CHARACTERS AND EPISODES, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. THIS STORY WAS WRITTEN WITHOUT THEIR PERMISSION AND IS NOT MEANT TO OFFEND ANYONE.******

**SPOILERS - NONE**

**SUMMARY - MULDER AND SCULLY REUNITE AFTER FIVE YEARS APART. THEY'VE BOTH CHANGED BUT HAVE REALISED SOMETHING IMPORTANT...******

**WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW - SCULLY LEFT THE X-FILES.******

**                      - SCULLY CAN HAVE CHILDREN.******

**                      - MULDER AND SCULLY LEFT EACH OTHER ON BAD TERMS AND HAVEN'T SPOKEN IN FIVE YEARS.******

**AUTHORS NOTES - OI *SIGH AND HEAD SHAKE THROWING HANDS IN THE AIR* PS. I GRADUATED TODAY SO I'M ALL FOR SOPPY REUNIONS BECAUSE I'VE SPENT FIVE YEARS WITH AN EXCEPTIONAL BUNCH OF PEOPLE WHOM, AFTER TODAY, I MAY NEVER SEE AGAIN.******

**AUTHORS NOTES (21st June 2003) – It was recommended to me that I put chapter breaks in this story...so that's what I'm doing. Nothing new but read and review again anyway if you want ****J****.**

XXXXXX

Mulder sipped his coffee and looked back out onto the street. A young woman had stopped just outside. She had a little girl, twin toddlers and a pram with her.

Another woman, obviously the children's mother, walked out of a hairdresser. The little girl ran up to her and hugged her. Mulder gasped. He realized that other people in the diner were looking at him but he ignored them.

Scully.

She looked up and saw him as she walked past. She said something to the other woman and pointed towards the diner. She nodded and walked in. The woman sat the little girl and the twins at the counter. She angled the pram in beside her own stool.

Scully walked over and sat opposite Mulder. He didn't look at her. He looked at the children.

"What can I get you?" The young man behind the counter asked.

"I don't know, you think you can handle us?" The woman asked. She had an accent. Australia, Mulder guessed.

"Try me." He smiled.

"Ok," She smiled. "I'd like a warm up please," She said quickly and put a baby bottle on the counter. "Three milkshakes and an extra cup. I'll need two travel lids and four straws. Vanilla, Caramel and Strawberry." She spoke so quickly Mulder almost missed the order himself.

"All right," The waiter said. He filled the order.

"Nice work. Congratulations." She took the caramel milkshake and tipped half of it into the empty cup. She put lids on the two half-shakes and handed one to each twin. The little girl took the strawberry. After shaking and testing the babies bottle she held the bottle into the pram.

"Quite a handful I'll bet."

"Well four kids, what do you expect?"

"Not them, you." He said.

"Oh," She smiled. "Well you're doing well so far."

"Well enough to get your phone number?" He asked. She smiled.

"Mulder," Scully said snapping his attention away from the woman and children.

"You look good Scully," He said.

"Dana," She said.

"Hm?" He said confused.

"I'm not Scully anymore." She said. "I married Brad."

"So they are your kids." Mulder said. She nodded.

"Hayley's almost five. Andy and Max are two. William," She smiled. "He's three weeks old."

"You really do look well. I'll bet four children's a handful."

"Well that's why I have Sarah." Scully said. "How long Mulder?"

"How long what?" He asked.

"How long are we going to pretend nothings happened?"

"A lot's happened Scully,"

"Don't call me Scully." She said.

"The X-Files is closed, I've changed professions, you're married, you have four kids."

"That's not what I meant Mulder. I meant how long are you going to pretend nothing's happened between you and me. How long are you going to ignore what happened all those years ago?"

"As long as I can, Sc," He stopped receiving a sharp glare from across the table. "Dana," He finished. "Because I miss you and I don't want to acknowledge the fact that I hurt you so much you left. I don't want to have to accept that I finally drove you away. After all the psychos and the near death experiences, after all that had happened to you, you left because of me."

"I didn't leave because of you Mulder."

"Excuse me, why did you leave?"

"For a lot of reasons. I suppose you were the main one but you're only one in a pile of many."

"Like what?"

"Well," She sighed. "The X-Files, the FBI, it wasn't what it used to be. It didn't mean the same things it did when I first started out. I woke up one day and I just knew that I didn't want to be Special Agent Dana Scully any more. That's why I left the FBI."

"But I'm the reason you haven't spoken to me in five years. It's the anniversary of your absence today."

"I know."

"Why didn't you throw my cup of coffee in my face and walk away. You should have."

"I guess I'm over it." She shrugged.

"You're over it."

"We fought Mulder, but we were best friends. I suppose at the time I'd convinced myself that you'd betrayed my trust. I've thought it over these past years."

"To what end?"

"I analyzed everything." Scully said. "I played that argument over in my head a million times, maybe more. You stood there, months after crossing a line I never thought we would, you cursed me and called me a lot of mean things. You told me I'd betrayed you and that you couldn't trust me.

"On top of everything else that had happened to me that day, I couldn't handle it and I retorted. God Mulder, you just snapped. I thought you'd finally gone completely insane. I can't recall provoking you in anyway. You went totally psycho."

"I know," Mulder nodded. "I never got a chance to explain why I was so pissed off that day."

"Tell me now."

"They'd closed the X-Files and asked me to leave the bureau. They were taking my life's work away from me and there wasn't a thing I could do about it. You walked into the office looking like death warmed up, sulking around like you had for days before."

"I had my reasons too you know." Scully said. "I'm sorry about the X-Files, but you have no idea what was happening to me at that time. It was one of the hardest times of my life and I felt that I had no one to talk to about it. I couldn't talk to Brad, I couldn't talk to my mother, I couldn't even talk to you."

"Why couldn't you talk to me about it? I thought you could come to me with anything. You know you could, you can, always."

"I couldn't, not about this, I still can't. One day I'll explain it to you."

"Are you a doctor?" Mulder asked changing the subject. Scully nodded.

"I'm taking a year off. I'm going to spend a bit of time with my kids. What do you do? You're obviously not with the FBI anymore. You said you'd changed professions. To what? Cop?"

"No," He shook his head. "More of a change than that. No law enforcement. I'm a lecturer at NYU."

"New York?"

"Mhm," He nodded.

"Congratulations." She said. Mulder smiled. Scully looked over her shoulder when she heard a baby start crying. Sarah lent down and lifted a tiny baby out of the Pram. Mulder and Scully stood simultaneously and walked over to her.

"This is my former FBI partner." Scully said in response to the questioning look on the younger woman's face. Scully took the now quiet child.

"G'day," She smiled and held out her hand. "It's nice to meet you. I'm Sarah,"

"Mulder," He said grasping her hand firmly. She smiled and let recognition of the name cover her features. 

"Excuse me please," Sarah smiled and walked towards the bathrooms in the back of the diner.

"You don't strike me as the Nanny type Scully,"

"Mulder." Scully whined.

"Sorry, I'm not used to it." Mulder said. Scully sighed.

"Anyway, I don't really strike myself as the Nanny type but I don't have a choice. I have to work to feed my kids and someone has to take care of them while I work. Sarah's not your typical Nanny either. Taking Food and Board out of her pay I hardly have to pay her anything and she's great with the kids. They love her. She cooks, she cleans and she's reliable."

"She lives with you."

"Uh huh. In the room with Hayley and the twins. I might have to let her go. If I'm not working for the next year I don't think I can pay her, and I don't need her if I'm going to be around anyway. I just hope I find someone as good when my leave is over."

"What about Brad?" Mulder asked. Scully shook her head.

"Things didn't work out. He didn't want one child. When he found out I was pregnant with William, well it was the straw that broke the camels back. Our marriage was annulled on the grounds that he didn't want to have children."

"Good old Catholic church." Mulder smiled. Scully sighed.

"I can't be angry anymore Mulder. I want to build up what we had before. I need all the support I can get at the moment. I might need to call on you to baby-sit from time to time."

"I'd love for us to try again. I can certainly be more understanding."

"So can I." Scully said.  Sarah returned. Scully put William in the pram. "Come for dinner tonight." Scully said. She took a pen from Mulder's breast pocket and wrote her address on a napkin. She returned the pen to his pocket.

"What time."

"Seven?"

"Great." Mulder nodded.

XXXXXX


	2. Resolution

Mulder found the apartment without too much trouble. He walked up to the door and pressed the bell. Sarah opened the door.

"Evening." She smiled.

"Hi," Mulder said. Sarah stepped back and let him through the door. She closed the door and took his coat. She also took the bottle of wine from his hand. "I didn't know what we were having. Chardonnay goes with everything."

"Indeed." Sarah smiled. "Come on through, it's nearly ready."

"Are you from Australia?" Mulder asked following Sarah into the lounge room.

"Mhm." She nodded. "I've been in the states about six years. I'm here on a working Visa."

"I hear Australian nannies are highly sought after."

"Seems that way to me." Sarah nodded. "Do you have kids?"

"No," Mulder shook his head. "Never found the right girl."

"Well, you're still young." Sarah smiled. Mulder returned the smiled.

"Sear Bear." Hayley said walking into the room.

"Hey my little Hero." Sarah said. "You say hello to Mr Mulder and shake his hand."

"Hello," Hayley said. "My names Hayley."

"Hello Hayley." Mulder said shaking the little girls hand. "You have very good manners. I'm very pleased to meet you." Sarah smiled. Mulder looked at the little girl. She had Scully's hair colouring. It fell in a mop of infinite red ringlets around her face. Her beautiful hazel eyes sparkled. She turned and looked back to Sarah.

"What's the matter?" Sarah asked lifting her up.

"Will you play Pretty Pretty Princess with me?"

"Absolutely." Sarah nodded. "You go and set it up and I'll be in very soon. Bath time first ok."

"Ok," Hayley nodded. Sarah put her down and she ran out of the room.

"Sarah," Scully called.

"Coming," Sarah called back. "Excuse me."

"This house can't function without you." Mulder smiled. Sarah walked out of the room.

Mulder stood up and looked around the lounge room. There were photos of Hayley and the twins everywhere. There was one or two of a pregnant Scully and some of Sarah. There was a photo of Scully and Brad on their wedding day. Mulder also noticed a few framed ultrasounds.

He heard soft footfall and turned around a small boy stood in the doorway sucking his thumb, his brother was close behind. "Hey there little guys." Mulder said walking over to them. He crouched down. He reached out and tickled the first little boy. He giggled with his thumb still in his mouth.

He heard more footsteps and looked up. He saw Scully at the end of the hallway. He smiled at her. She looked beautiful in a sapphire blue slip dress. Mulder stopped smiling and stood up when he realized Scully's eyes were red and puffy from crying.

Sarah walked over and collected one twin under each arm. "Bath time." She said. They smiled and giggled as she carried them towards the bathroom. Scully remained at the end. "Hayley," Sarah called. The little girl ran across the hallway.

Mulder walked very slowly towards Scully. He could see tears running down her cheeks. "Scully," He said. "Dana," he said and gave her an apologetic look. She collapsed forward into his arms.

"Oh Mulder,"

"Hey, hey don't cry, it's all right. Shh." He cooed gently. She cried harder. Mulder lifted her feet off the ground. Scully didn't seem to notice. She left her face buried in Mulder's shoulder. He sat her down on the couch and knelt in front of her. Mulder took her head in his hands.

"I'm sorry," She said.

"Don't be sorry, don't be sorry," He said wiping her cheeks with his thumbs. "Hey, you don't have to apologies. Why are you so upset? Are you all right?"

"Just," She paused and composed herself. "Seeing you today, made me think about a lot of things. Things I haven't thought about for a long time. God Mulder, what happened to us? We were such a team. I thought our friendship could survive everything."

"It can, it has. I'm here now aren't I. Maybe it took five years but we're still together."

"All this time I've kept something from you and I shouldn't have."

"We all have secrets Scully."

"Did you ever keep a secret from me?" Scully asked.

"Yes," he nodded. "But I've never been faced with something as big as what you've kept in all these years."

"What?" Scully asked.

"At NYU." Mulder started. "My office is in the middle of the Biology department. I was there originally because there wasn't enough room with the rest of the Psychologist lecturers. I never bothered moving out.

"During tea breaks I talk to the Biologists and listen to their conversations to other biologists. I've discovered a few things about animals and genes and stuff. Dominant and recessive genes. 

"Blue eyes are a recessive gene aren't they Scully. You have blue eyes, Brad had blue eyes as well didn't he. But Scully, Hayley has hazel eyes, like me."

Scully burst into tears again. Mulder took her gently in his arms and squeezed her. "Shh," He said and kissed the top of her head. "Did you think I'd be mad?" He asked. Scully nodded. Her face still buried in his chest. "I'm not,"

"Really?"

"No," He smiled. "No I'm not mad at all. Not even a little bit. I'm so sorry you had to deal with it all these years. All by yourself. You were what, five months pregnant last time we spoke?"

"About that."

"Oh Scully, why didn't you tell me."

"Because, I didn't want to scare you away. I didn't want you to leave me. I wanted you to love the baby I was carrying."

"I do," Mulder nodded. "Not as much as I love you Scully. "You mean much much more to me. You're my everything."

"You love me?" She asked.

"Oh yes, very much. More than life itself. That's my secret. That I've loved you for a very long time."

"Will you stay with me? Stay and get to know Hayley and the twins. And William."

"Yes, I'd love to." Mulder nodded. After dinner Mulder and Scully returned to the lounge room. Sarah had tucked all the children in and had retired herself.

"How do you fit everyone in?" He asked.

"I'll show you." Scully said. They walked down the hallway. She opened a door. There was a set of bunk beds. The kind with a double bed on the bottom. Sarah was lying down with one twin beside her the other was lying the other way with his feet to his brother. Hayley was on the top bunk.

"Wow,"

"Sometimes I have a twin or two or Hayley in bed with me."

"And William sleeps..."

"In a crib in my room."

"Wow," He said again.

"We get along. 

"I'll bet, I'll tell you though, the first thing I'm going to do."

"What?"

"You'll see." They returned to the lounge and talk more. "I better head off." Mulder said. "It's after midnight."

"You can stay if you like." Scully said.

"I better head off."

"Please stay."

"Ok," Mulder nodded. "What are you doing tomorrow?"

"Nothing," She said.

"Do you mind if I stick around then? I'll take Hayley and the twins to the Zoo or something."

"Really?"

"Yeh, I'd love too." Mulder nodded. Mulder slipped his shoes off and swung his legs up onto the couch and lay back putting his head on Scully's lap. She smiled. "I could get used to this. This is quite comfortable. You planning to stay there the whole night?"

"No, are you? I was planning on going to bed, care to join me."

"Scully," Mulder said with surprise in his voice. She smiled and ran her fingers through his hair. He smiled and grabbed her hand and kissed her palm.

"Oh Mulder," She sighed. Mulder could see her eyes tearing up again. He dropped her hand and reached up putting one hand on either side of her head.

"Hey, don't cry. I was a jerk remember, you couldn't have missed me that much."

"I did, I missed you everyday."

"You don't have to miss me anymore. I'm going to stay around for good, whether you like it or not."

"Promise?" She smiled. He nodded.

XXXXXX


	3. Proposal

"Mulder, where are you taking me?"

"You'll see,"

"This is silly, take this blindfold off."

"No, not yet. Just wait a minute longer. We're almost there." He smiled. Mulder had blindfolded Scully and was driving her somewhere. He stopped the car and walked around to Scully's side of the car. He helped her out and led her along a path.

"Can I take it off now?"

"Yes," Mulder nodded. Scully pulled the blindfold off. She was looking a beautiful brick house. Mulder took her hand. She was too stunned to do anything except follow him. He showed her around the house.

It was a double story house. Up stairs there were five bedrooms and a bathroom. Downstairs was a study, another bathroom, the kitchen, the dinning room and a lounge room. Out the back there was a laundry and a huge backyard with a small swimming pool. The garden was well maintained.

Mulder led Scully up the stairs into the main bedroom. In the middle of the floor was a small black box. Scully looked at Mulder then ran over to the box. Mulder caught the disappointment in her eyes when she pulled a silver key out of the box.

"Not what you expected."

"Not exactly." She said. She looked up at him. He smiled a broad smile and held out another black box.

"Try this one." He said. She stood up and walked across to him. When she was a few inches away Mulder dropped to one knee and opened the box. Scully smiled. Mulder produced a handful of red rose petals.

"Marry me, 'cause I'm shit without you."

"How romantic, a marriage proposal with the word shit in it." She said.

"Well if you think you can do better." Mulder said and stood up. Scully threw her arms around him and kissed him.

"I couldn't do better than you." She said. Mulder slipped the ring on her finger.

XXXXXX


	4. Conclusion

"Ok William, tell me about your family."

"Well," The young man started. "My real father, Brad, left my mother before I was born because he didn't really want children. So I never knew him. My mother made sure to tell me about him. Not just the bad, the good too. My Dad, he's my Mom's second husband, but they'd been in love for years, before my mom even met Brad, they just didn't realize it.

"My older sister, Hayley, she's Dad's real daughter, she was conceived by accident. Dad didn't know about her though because Mom was too scared to tell him in case he got angry. When Hayley was about five, Mom finally told him. I was only a baby, like not even a month old. Dad's been around since then so he's the only father I've really ever known.

"Mom and Dad moved into our house because Mom was only in a two room apartment because she couldn't afford anything else. Dad set the whole thing up because he inherited a lot of money when his parents died.

"Hero's the oldest, she's five years older than me, so that's twenty three, she's just joined the FBI where our parents started out. Mac and Champ are two years older than me, twenty. Mac's a lawyer and Champ is a doctor, well not quite but that's where they're aiming.

"Glowworm's my younger sister, she's two years younger than me and still in high school. Ruler's five years younger than me, he's a pain in the ass, he's just started Junior High, I hope he grows out of it. Pricie's the youngest. He's eleven, he's not so bad, just a kid I guess.

"Me and the twins are the only ones that aren't actually Dad's biologically.

"Sarah's not related to me but she's family. She was my nanny, as well as everyone else. She's been around since Hero was a baby. She had a daughter and a son, they're fourteen and twelve. Stitch and Red. Her husband Jack's really nice."

"Why do you call them that, Hero, Glowworm, Stitch?"

"That's from Sarah. It's all got something to do with what our names mean. She's smart for things like that. What names mean. I've picked up a bit of it."

"Will you explain it to me."

"Sure," William nodded. "Hayley, means Hero, so that's fairly self explanatory. Andy means manly, from that we went to Macho from there we got Mac. Max means The Greatest, from that came Champ. Maggie means child of light, so we called her Glowworm. Ryan means little ruler, we went from there to Ruler. Anthony means priceless. Priceless Pricie. Tailor means what it says so we call her Stitch and Adam means red Earth from there to just Red."

"And you?"

"William means Resolute Guardian, so they call me Guard."

"So you and your Mom and Dad, and all seven of you. Plus Sarah and her husband and her two children live in the same house."

"Sarah and Jack and their kids live next door, but there's a gate between the two yards and we stay there or at home pretty much when ever. Hero and the twins live somewhere else, in the city, in an apartment together. We see them all the time though. Every weekend."

"Are you happy William?"

"Yes." He nodded. "Very happy."

"One last thing before I let you go. How long were your parents apart before they met up again?"

"Five years, to the day. Every five years we have a really big party and Mom and Dad go where they met again and I don't know, talk about the old days."

"So a five year reunion all over again."

"Yeh, three weeks after my birthday. The next one's in two years."

"Ok, you can go."

"Thanks," William smiled. He walked out of the room and met his parents in the hallway.

"How was that?"

"Ok," William nodded. "She just asked me about my family."

"I really appreciate you doing this Guard."

"What's it for again."

"Well, these are my fourth year students. They're going to analyze what you said and write a report."

"So I have to do that again?"

"No, all of you are going to have a turn. It's easier for me to grade them because I know you all so well."

"Ok," William nodded. "Do I get to read what she wrote about me?"

"You'll have to ask her once I've marked everything."

"What'd you talk about?" Scully asked.

"Just family. And those Five year reunions you have."

"Hmm, good subject choice." Mulder nodded and smiled.

Mulder and Scully sat down to dinner that night.

"To the next five year reunion." Mulder smiled and kissed Scully gently on the cheek.

THE END


End file.
